Attorney General-elect Peter Kilmartin has announced that he is hanging on to some key staffers from the Patrick Lynch era - Deputy Attorney General Gerald Coyne, civil division chief James Lee, and criminal division chief Stacie Veroni.
But Kilmartin will face some pressure to differentiate from Lynch, whose gubernatorial ambitions leant a political feel to the office and whose ties to disgraced Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau raised embarassing questions, fair or not, about the office's willingness to go after public corruption.
Look for Kilmartin to make significant changes to the executive office, with chief of staff a key pick. We'll also watch closely for his picks in the AG's "white collar crime unit," which he seeks to rename the "public corruption unit" and codify in law as a permanent desk within the office. Kilmartin made cracking down on corruption a central focus of his campaign.
Kilmartin has also announced his transition team. From the AG-elect's office:
Attorney General-Elect Peter Kilmartin announced today the creation of his Transition Committee, which will help maintain and recruit and top legal talent at the Office of Attorney General while providing policy recommendations.
"As Rhode Island’s next Attorney General, I am deeply committed to enhancing the protection of everyday Rhode Islanders,” said Attorney General-Elect Kilmartin. “I am confident that this group of distinguished leaders will help me in successfully assembling an Office of Attorney General that will adhere to our mission of moving the Ocean State towards a safer and more secure future.”
The Chair of General-Elect Kilmartin’s Transition Committee is Edward Cooney, former head of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and current Vice President and Treasurer of Nortek Company.
“I am honored to lead this talented and diverse Transition Committee that Attorney General-Elect Peter Kilmartin has put together,” said Transition Committee Chair Edward Cooney. “With the vast array of backgrounds and experience on this Committee, I look forward to helping the Attorney General-Elect streamline and strengthen the office while bolstering its ability to serve Rhode Island families.”
Other Transition Committee members include: Ernest Almonte, former Auditor General of Rhode Island and current Partner at DiSanto Priest & Company; Donald Deignan, a former member of the Office of Attorney General and current disability rights advocate; Angel Garcia, Personnel Director for the City of Pawtucket; Jamie Hainsworth, former Glocester Police Chief and current Executive Director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Neil Kelly, former Narragansett Police Officer, Assistant Attorney General, and currently a Managing Attorney with Decof & Decof; Bruce Kogan, Director of Mediation and professor at Roger Williams University School of Law; Richard LeClerc, President and CEO of Gateway Healthcare; Leonard Lopes, former Chief of Staff to the Attorney General and current Partner at Pannone, Lopes, Devereaux & West; Stephanie Manzi, Dean of Criminology at Roger Williams University; James Ryan, former Chief of the Criminal Division for the Office of Attorney General and current partner at Partridge, Snow and Hahn; Deborah Smith, Director of Municipal and External Affairs for the Governor; and Sheri Sweitzer, former employee for the Office of the U.S. President, and current Chair of the Board for Phoenix Houses of New England and Vice Clerk for the Board of Overseers at Moses Brown School.